China’s first Confucius classroom in a prison opened in east China’s Shandong Province on Saturday.

　　上周六，中国第一座监狱孔子课堂在山东省举行了揭牌仪式。

　　The classroom opened in Luzhong Prison in central Shandong as part of a charity program funded by the China Confucius Foundation.

　　此次开办的孔子课堂位于山东中部地区的鲁中监狱，是由中国孔子基金会牵头的一个公益项目的一部分。

　　Lin Guojun, deputy head of the provincial prison management bureau, said that Luzhong Prison will pilot a series of changes, including classroom and library design, training prison instructors in Confucian teachings and family activities in order to improve the prison’s cultural atmosphere.

　　山东省监狱管理局副局长林国军(音)表示说，鲁中监狱将进行一系列的整改，将设计新的教室和图书馆、对监狱教官进行儒家学说教育和家庭活动的培训，以期借此提升监狱的文化氛围。

　　He said that the classroom will encourage the traditional teaching methods of handwriting, reading classics and moral education.

　　林国军还指出，这座孔子课堂将鼓励使用传统教学方法，对学员们进行书法、读经和道德教育。

　　Named after the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius schools and classrooms are generally run as non-profit public institutions to help foreigners understand China through language and culture classes at overseas universities. The first such institute was established in 2004.

　　以中国古代伟大的哲学家孔子命名，孔子学院和孔子课堂在全世界各地广泛成立。这些非盈利的公共机构遍布海外的大学，通过汉语和中国文化课程来帮助外国人了解中国。早在2004年就成立了第一家孔子学院。

（编辑：何莹莹）